To give you an opportunity to sample some of the dishes from our menu, we are holding a Tasting Session at the school on Wednesday the 23rd of January 3.15pm

Everyone is welcome, so please call in.

Members of Totally Local Catering Team will be available to discuss the menu and answer any questions you may have regarding the catering service.

Our culture

As a team, we are passionate about providing high quality, diverse and nutritional meals. We work in full partnership with your school to engage with your children and encourage a culture of healthy eating. Creating delicious and healthy menus that your children want to eat is our priority. Through our role, we help your children learn at a young age, that eating well can be fun and that food is central to their health and energy.

The menus

Each day, we provide your children with a delicious, wholesome hot meal. This is complemented by vegetables and salad, in addition to vegetarian options and options for those with special dietary needs; and of course, a dessert and variety of drinks. Catering for all pupils and staff, we will also work with the school to create a menu that meets the needs of any special diets.

Making food fun

We know it’s important to make healthy eating fun. Throughout the year we hold ‘theme days’ and competitions to encourage your children to think and healthy food in a positive way.

Quality

The food we use is locally sourced wherever possible. Over 85% of our menu is produced from raw ingredients by our professionally qualified staff. The meat in our dishes is Red Tractor, Freedom Foods or Halal certified. We procure fresh quality produce via reputable suppliers to ensure complete traceability of food.

Our current menus meet all food based standards and allergen laws; they include: Red Tractor or Farm Assured Meat and Poultry, fresh quality fruit and vegetables, two of the five daily portions of fruit and Marine Stewardship Council approved fish. All of our preparation and menus meet the full requirements of the food based standards and allergen laws.

On Thursday 15th November 2018, Thorn Grove celebrated Children In Need a day early due to Friday being an INSET day. The 2018 theme was Spot-tacular, so children from Nursery to Year 6 came dressed in their best dotty, spotty clothes! We had a few Pudsey Bears turn up too…

A Day of Positive Action by Stockport Schools Friday 12th October 2018

Stockport is one of the worst funded education authorities in England. Even with the new funding proposals our children receive less money per pupil than many of the local Greater Manchester authorities and we currently sit in the worst half funded of schools in the country having previously been136th of 150 authorities. On average this looks like around £1000 per pupil less than learners who attend Manchester schools.

Representatives of primary and secondary head teacher groups met with Damian Hinds in June to put forward our case for better funding. They explained the great divide between our schools funding and others in the country and the impact that this was having on our schools.

School leaders have continued to make difficult choices to best resource our schools and provide the best opportunities for our learners but with rising costs, demands to maintain school buildings and the continuous challenge of meeting expectations for all, this is becoming increasingly difficult. Currently, we are proud of the outcomes for our children and despite the funding constraints we are able to provide quality first teaching for all. Our school budgets however, are quickly diminishing in real terms and as schools approach breaking point very difficult decisions regarding provision will inevitably have to be made.

As a collective of school leaders across all phases and settings we continue to call on the Secretary of State for Education to increase funding for all those within early years, primary, secondary and special schools.

We ask that as parents, you continue to lobby our local MP Mary Robinson to make them aware of our situation and to further reiterate the circumstances our schools are in.

Last week, Head teachers from all over the country took the unprecedented step to illustrate their concerns over school funding by staging a march from Parliament Square to Downing Street to present a letter highlighting concerns. Stockport was represented in this march.

For pupils with additional needs we are concerned that the High Needs budget is not fit for purpose. Schools are under enormous pressure to provide appropriate entitlement of support as numbers continue to increase and pupils are presenting with a range of complexities in many cases. Under the proposed formula schools are increasingly challenged to deliver on outcomes for learners identified with additional needs,

Funding for early years childcare is also stretched, particularly as a result of the introduction of Government funding levels for 30 hours of ‘free’ childcare. School budgets are not equipped adequately to cover the basic costs of delivery.

Funding for Stockport’s schools in recent years remains out of line with inflation and although some schools saw a modest increase in funding for 2018-19 this has been eroded by increasing costs including salary and pension increases, growing recruitment costs, inflation and the burden of paying into the Apprenticeship Levy.

Friday 12th October is a day we would like our voices to be heard. Rather our children and families’ voices to be heard. Schools in the authority will be carrying out a range of activities to look further into how more funds could and would enhance the learning experiences for our children.

Our children will be given the opportunity to share their thoughts and vision for the educational experiences they feel they are entitled to.

Parents will be invited to write to and talk to local MPs to share the collective view.

We look forward to a positive day of action and one where we have a chance to share our thoughts and further improve outcomes for our children.

On Friday 28th September 2018, Thorn Grove will be participating in the World’s Biggest Macmillan Coffee Event. This annual event is an important fundraiser for the Macmillan Cancer Support organisation. Cancer affects the lives of thousands of families and communities worldwide and the funds raised at this event enable Macmillan to help people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.

Our afternoon coffee event will take place on Friday28th September at 3:30pm in our school canteen where a selection of tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits will be served. Monetary donations for Macmillan cancer support will be collected throughout the event. To celebrate the community spirit of the occasion, children and staff are invited to spend the school day in a suggested purple and green Macmillan themed non-uniform – this could range from anything as small as purple and green socks or accessories to a full-blown purple and green outfit! Be creative!

Any donations of cakes and biscuits (these do not need to be home baked) would be greatly appreciated. Please bring them in to school on the morning of 28th September. We hope to see everybody there to help raise funds for what I’m sure you will agree is a very worthwhile cause.

Mighty Mighty Thorn Grove!

We would like to share some magical moments from our fabulous ‘Outdoor Classroom Day’ earlier this term. We hope the children told you all about it but if not- here are some highlights!

The day began with an Outdoor Assembly where the teachers shared the Outdoor rules for the day. The number one rule was to enjoy the outdoors! Each class moved around 6 areas where they took part in a physical activity, circle time, field work, investigation and Forest School challenge.

At play time, the children swapped playgrounds for the day. During lunch time the whole school shared a picnic on the field. It was wonderful to see the oldest and youngest children coming together for this!

The afternoon involved children revisiting favourite activities such as den building, compass reading and stone decorating.

Whilst children were busily occupied, each class had an opportunity to toast a marshmallow around the campfire.

This was a special and extraordinary day which we hope children will remember for a very long time! Many thanks to all our parent helpers who supported the day and to Chris in the kitchen for preparing all the packed lunches!

Many thanks for generously supporting our Macmillan coffee afternoon. We raised over £170 and enjoyed some fantastic cakes. Here’s the amazing cake that the Reception children and Mrs Hatton made for the occasion!